Playing to Get a Better Hand
by westwingwolf
Summary: Being stuck in a safe house is boring, luckily for Chloe, Lex is around to listen and provide entertainment.


AN: Written for the NS July Fanfic Challenge "The Safe House"

Title: Playing to Get a Better Hand

One. "I"

Two. "De-"

Three. "-clare"

Four. "War!"

"Yes!" Chloe shouted enthusiastically when her top card featuring the Seven of Hearts beat Lex's Six of Clubs thus ending an amazing round which finished with an unlikely triple war and claimed the last of his cards.

There was no shame as she did a mini dance of joy while sitting cross-legged on the sofa in the living room of the safe house where she was forced to spend her time for the summer. Lex offered a small, yet genuine smile as she basked in her triumph, but he couldn't let think that she had bested him completely. "Very well, you are obviously very lucky in games of chance, but the next game will require skill."

Chloe gave him a quick eye roll before asking, "What like some tiresome game such as 'Monopoly' where the only real winner is the last one to give into the boredom before declaring the game a wash?"

Lex had to laugh at her accurate assessment of said game. "Actually, I tend to steer away from games that resemble my real life too closely."

"So no to 'Operation' then?" She teased before he could finish his thought.

Giving her the stare, he finished "I think both of us would be done with hospitals but if you want to play 'Doctor'…" He should feel guilty that he managed to make the seventeen year old blush. Guilty and dirty, but honestly he couldn't muster those emotions around her. Besides if Chloe felt he was crossing a line, she'd be the first tell him.

As soon as she felt the flush in her cheeks lessen, she stated, "Moving on, what game did you have in mind?"

"How about a game that matches our equal skill…'Scrabble.'" At her nod, he went to the chest where various games were piled. He brought the chest and games with him the day after he'd been released from the hospital. He knew she had her computer but there wasn't much she could do with it without a connection to the internet. And Spider Solitaire lost its allure after winning several games in a row.

Still he worried it wasn't enough. Her only viable opponents were him and her father as the guards could not have any distractions. Try as he might, there was only so much interest a father, even a good one like Gabe, could manage when it came to board games, especially when Chloe had finally learned how to best him at Chinese Checkers at ten.

So that left Lex as her sole companion for fun around here and unfortunately he couldn't be around as often as he liked or else risk alerting Lionel's minions to her presence. But he managed to see her at least once a week, no matter what his schedule, no matter how much back-tracking he had to accomplish in order to throw off the enforcers.

As they went about setting up the board and preparing the tiles, Lex figured it was a good enough time to mention that he hadn't found Clark yet. He knew Chloe hated trying to find casual ways to ask, and it wasn't right to make her wait too long for a report even if that report hadn't changed at all sense the day their friend disappeared.

At the stilted news, Chloe's happy nature was once again downcast. She got up from the sofa and paced behind it frustrated that due to her safety protection there couldn't even be a window to look out. "I think if I was able to help, I might find something." She pleaded with Lex.

He didn't know whether to smile at her persistence or frown at the risk she was willing to take when she was already swimming in trouble. "I can't deny how good you are with a computer, but this is different Chloe. There is literally no trace, and Martha isn't being forthcoming." He stood up to stop her pacing and made her look at him. "We both know how good Clark is at saving people. I'm sure if he's in any trouble, he'll be fine. Until then, we just have to wait. And Clark will never forgive me if I let something happen to you. I'm already in enough trouble with him as it is." When she acquiesced to his reason with a nod, he dropped his hands from her shoulders and walked back to his spot around the table.

Truth of the matter was that while he wanted Clark's friendship, when it came to Chloe, Clark didn't even come to close to the list of reasons he wanted her protected. From the beginning of their partnership, even the advantage of finally being rid of his father was slipping farther down that list.

"Thank you." He looked up from the tiles he was flipping over (Chloe had insisted that picking the tiles from a pile allowed for more choice that picking from the bag.) to see that she had returned to her seat, and was now staring at him with honest gratitude. "Not just for believing me when I first came to speak to you about your father or continuing to hide me, but thank you for coming to see me. And for talking me down from the proverbial ledge."

She took a deep soothing breath before continuing, "I just feel like sometimes even though Lionel's the one in jail, I'm the one stuck in the cage. And I know it won't be forever and I just have to wait, but it's hard to remember that sometimes. So I'm glad you're here. And I'm glad that I came to you months ago." She reached across the table to take his hand in a foreign show of affection that somehow didn't feel that odd. "And not just because you got me out of that mess. I'm glad because it allowed for us to be closer friends."

Since he was a teenager, Lex had done his best to never show true emotions but at this moment he didn't care. He gently squeezed her hand before answering with a smile, "I'm happy for that too." After a shared smile, they dropped their hands to pick their tiles.

Chloe had become very important to him in the short span of time that they worked together. He swore to do everything in his power to protect her from Lionel and anyone else that could cause her harm. And if he didn't have the power, then he would find a way to get it.

The End.


End file.
